The Love and Family That Could Have Been
by LunaAliCat
Summary: Rated M for later chapters. AU Set near the end of End of Time Part Two. The Doctor travels to Bannerman Road. Would they forgive him for not telling? Would Sarah hate him? Oh God, he couldn't bear to have her hate him. Tenth Doctor/Sarah Jane crossover
1. Chapter 1

The Doctor knew his time as the protector of the universe was over. He'd had a great time doing it, but it was time to either pass it all on to another or accept his fate and change again. He did not want to change: he liked this body and he didn't want to die again. They all felt like death and he couldn't do it. It was time for once to be selfish. He had to confess things and he just wanted to be left for the rest of this life. Before that, he wanted his hard-worked reward.

He set the controls for several locations. The first was to make sure a Sontaran didn't kill Martha and Mickey Smith. He had to save the newlywed couple and former companions. They were his friends after all. Plus, to see them what seemed to be for the last time was only fair that he would save them as a last act.

He came across a local universal bar where Jack was just sitting around and drinking his pain away after losing so many loved ones. He was the closest person to the Doctor that knew the pain of living on while the ones around you died. Giving the bartender a note and a silent salute, he set up Jack with Alonso, the man who helped the Doctor save Earth from a fatal crash from a space cruise liner version of the Titanic. It was only fair to pair him with another hope-to-last lover as his farewell, though it may not last long, knowing Jack.

There was one companion he knew he would never see again in the current flow of time. He travelled to Cardiff on New Year's Day in 2005 to see one of the few living friends left he could never say hello to again. Hiding in the dark, he softly said goodbye to the one friend that he had more feelings for than most. She didn't recognize him, but her blonde locks and soft smile still made him fuzzy inside. Sighing softly as he watched her walk into her building, he walked away from Rose's apartment building and back into the TARDIS.

He was planning to make this trip last, but he ended up going to see Donna's wedding day from the sidelines. Seeing her happy and pregnant, he knew that he was leaving on good terms. He handed a winning lottery ticket to Sylvia and Wilfred to give to Donna as a wedding present. To have your death come at the hands of an old retired soldier who Fate tied you to was funny irony. To die saving the same man after he saved someone else from being trapped within an overloading machine with deadly amounts of radiation... The Doctor was dying after saving a life as he always had done in his former regenerations.

His second-to-last stop took him back to when Jenny had been killed in 60,120,724 on Messaline. He knew she lived, hell he'd felt her out there. But, he couldn't track her without knowing for certain. He saw her laying there on the ground and regenerate in the hospital after he, Martha, and Donna left. But, she hadn't changed; Somehow, she stayed the same. He followed her ship to her first stop.

"Jenny," he said, stepping out.

"Hello, Dad," she said, a bit surprised to see him.

"I... I need you to do something for me. I wouldn't ask anyone else." He would be giving her the TARDIS, his regenerations along with sharing his knowledge... Everything. He was going to become human without having to use the Chameleon Circuit to wipe his memories. While before this time, that would have disgusted him, right now it was all he wanted. He waited for her reaction.

"You want me to take your place?" she said, smiling widely.

"I owe it to someone," he said, nodding with a smile.

"Rose?"

"No, oh no. This one had my hearts well before Rose was thought of. She still has 'em."

Jenny smiled and hugged him. "Tell K9 I said hi."

"I need a ride though." He hugged her in return and followed her into the TARDIS, giving her the keys and Psychic Paper. While flying through the Time Vortex, the Doctor transferred all of his remaining regenerations and shared knowledge to Jenny.

Jenny dropped him off at the point in history he asked. The time was right after Christmas 2009 and the place was Bannerman Road. The Doctor rushed into traffic and stopped a teenaged brown-haired boy from being hit. Why did kids and teenagers talk on their cellphones without looking both ways before crossing a street?

"Don't ever do that," he said seriously to the lad.

Luke looked up at him in surprise, looking as if he had seen a ghost. "You're...him."

While this happened on the sidewalk across from 13 Bannerman Road, Sarah Jane Smith finished typing another successful article for the local paper, emailing it to the editor-in-chief and waiting for yet another paycheck in the mail. She leaned back and let her mind wander, closing her eyes. Thoughts drifted to a certain handsome man and she smiled. Sure he had regenerated and he looked a bit younger than the old days, but he was still handsome. Their times together were perilous, life-threatening, thrilling... and she loved every minute of it just to be with him. She sighed, remembering the younger companions with him and knowing his mind was probably still on Rose. Martha had told Sarah Jane all that had happened to the Doctor since the whole Davros reviving and stealing Earth incident and was still worried for him. He was travelling alone and she didn't like hearing that about him.

"He's one that should never be alone..." She sighed with a mutter to herself before hearing Luke yell for her. She shot her eyes open and made a sprint downstairs and outside. She met her son just at the end of their driveway after he crossed the street.

"Luke? Luke, what is it?" She saw Luke point to the Doctor and she smiled softly, but felt that something was off. Her smile faded a bit and she looked both ways before crossing the street with Luke, walking briskly to him.

"So what's going on now? The Trickster's trying to foil my life again? Sontarans planning to take over Earth again? Daleks and Cybermen returning?" Her smile faded more as she didn't hear him chuckle and saw a serious look to him. "Doctor, what's the matter?" She felt Luke holding her hand and she gripped it gently as she looked into the Doctor's eyes.

"I'm human now and frankly a bit lost." The Doctor sighed as his hands were in his pockets. He'd given Jenny everything, but the Sonic Screwdriver he couldn't part with that. He looked at her. "I owe you and Luke a good story."

"Human? But how...?" Before Sarah Jane could ask anything else, she heard the good story part and stopped herself.

Luke looked at him. "About?"

"Who you are and where you come from," the Doctor answered. He looked ready to cry and frankly he was. He'd been human before but not with his memories intact or the ability to remember how it felt to time travel.

She shook her head. "We already know that, Doctor. But, you know this is a conversation that's better held inside." She smiled sympathetically, holding out her free hand to him. "Come on. I'll put on a nice pot of tea, and Luke can make some scones. Plus, we have marmalade in the fridge for you, always keeping some fresh whenever you decided to drop by again." She knew all about his infamous sweet tooth and knew that would cheer him up a little.

He nodded and followed them into their house, knowing they didn't know everything about young Luke. Now that he was human, it was safe to tell them.

Would they forgive him for not telling?

Would Sarah hate him?

Oh god he couldn't bear to have her hate him.


	2. Chapter 2

Luke saw the Doctor still all depressed in the living room as he and his mother were getting tea ready. He turned to her, speaking quietly. "You would think someone died."

Sarah nodded and kissed his forehead. "Make those scones and get everything ready when the tea and scones are done. I'm going to sit with him in the living room, okay?" She smiled lightly to him before moving into the living room and sitting on the couch with the Doctor. "Now first off, tell me what's happened to you. Why are you human?"

"I chose it. Every time I regenerate, it's like I die. Another man walks away with my memories and my feelings. I was going to regenerate again, but I chose to do something for myself for once. I passed the TARDIS and everything onto Jenny. She's doing what I used to out there now. I chose to come back to the one companion I could never get out of my head. The one I regretted leaving and did it twice because I was an idiot." He looked at her. "I have but one life now. I'm tired of running."

Luke came out with tea and scones along with marmalade and strawberry jam for him and Sarah Jane. He sat in a chair on the other side of the coffee table after setting everything down. After he was done, Luke and Sarah Jane listened to the Doctor's story of everything since the Earth was stolen by the Daleks to what happened on Christmas Day just a few days ago.

"So the four knocks that everyone was trying to warn you about in your travels was Donna Noble's grandfather? Who would've guessed?" Luke sipped his tea after the Doctor finished, not able to believe that the planet they saw crashing towards the Earth was Gallifrey itself. Thankfully it was stopped or else the Earth would have been crushed like a large steel ball crashing against a smaller glass ball.

Sarah Jane looked appalled, not even picking up her tea the whole time. "That's why you blamed yourself for the Time War. You locked everything in, the good and the bad!" She leaned forward and hugged him comfortingly. "Why didn't you tell me before? You know I would've understood and been your source of comfort."

"It's because I didn't want to lose you. I could see in the flow of time in my mind. If you had stayed beside me, most of the outcomes I saw were that I would have lost you. Sarah, he would have killed you." The Doctor ran his hands over his face. The Master would have known that he loved her and used it against him. "I could have gone on regenerated and that would have been it, or I would have died for good. I'll never know but I... I felt it was time I did something for myself. It was time I returned to the two people who mean the most to me."

Sarah sighed, nodding and leaning back from the embrace. She fixed his tea and a scone just the way she knew he had his before making hers. "You deserve some true happiness after all the hard work you put into saving the universe, and now Jenny... Wait, that's how you turned human! You passed on your regenerative powers fully to Jenny, making her a full Time Lady!" She remembered vaguely about hearing this through a contact she had with his wife back on Gallifrey from his fourth incarnation. She looked fully to him. "I never thought you would."

Luke smiled as K-9 came in. "Here's the other that means most to you."

The Doctor looked to his faithful robotic companion and smiled before looking to Luke. "K-9 is the best friend a Time Lord could have, but I said people."

Sarah smiled softly to K-9 before looking back to the Doctor. "You mean me and Luke? But you barely know him..." She stopped, remembering his words about a story and leaning back after giving him his tea and taking hers.

"You both are either going to hate me... or..." he said before sighing. He took a much needed sip of tea. "I know about the Bane making Luke. I was there. You know as well as I do that the vat was full of human DNA and yours added later on, Sarah. I added my own DNA and when he was made, his body chose two of those DNA samples to take his form. Sarah, Luke is our son. Ours together. I stayed away to protect you both. It pained me seeing him from a distance. But, if I hadn't, the Daleks would have killed you both," he finished, waiting silently.

Sarah Jane took a sip before almost spitting her sip out. Luke spit out his sip of tea a bit before blushing in embarrassment. She looked to Luke before looking to the Doctor, putting down her cup to keep her shaking hands from spilling it.

"You mean... to tell me... that Luke is... our son? Yours and mine?" She only whispered, not believing what she was hearing.

"I'm your son?" Luke couldn't believe this at all. He was always dreaming of this since first meeting and hearing about the Doctor, but he couldn't believe it. After getting a napkin to clean himself up, he looked to the former Time Lord. "Are you sure? I don't have two hearts."

"You take more after your mum on that. But, yes, I'm sure. There are too many signs. Your knack for remembering things and knowing things you were not there for on top of the intelligence level that the Bane put into you." He looked at Sarah. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want to put you both in danger. Most assume it was Rose I loved more than anything. But, oh no, it was always you, my Sarah." He didn't know if they both hated him right now or not.

Luke moved to the couch and sat in between them long enough to hug him. "This is great news! I actually have a dad!" He broke the hug. "I was always hoping that you were my dad."

Sarah Jane watched them, putting two and two together. He did act a lot like the Doctor now that she thought about it. She looked between the two before breaking the hug. "You know, I have a right mind to kick your butt from here to Aberdeen, Scotland and back again for not saying a word about the Time War or Luke or anything!" Luke leaned back, worried that his mother was about to lose it.

He sighed, closing his eyes. "I couldn't. Sarah, if I did tell you, things would have happened. Lives would have been lost. Had I mentioned the Time War to you, you would have found a way to go with me and... You wouldn't have made it off of Gallifrey. I would have lost you forever. I would have gone to a very dark place, then lost my mind like the Master, joined him even, and the Earth wouldn't be the same. I didn't tell you about Luke because again the Daleks would have hunted you both down, thinking him a Time Lord." He sighed, hanging his head. "But, by all means, kick my butt. Time knows I deserve it."

Luke was going to argue about Sarah Jane's protests, but she put up a hand. "Luke, please go upstairs and talk with Mr. Smith." Luke was about to protest but stopped and nodded, moving upstairs instead. At times like this, he knew better than to argue with his mother whenever she had an official sort of tone to her voice. That was one of the first things he picked up quickly when living with her and getting used to human life.

What was she planning on doing now that they knew the truth?

Would the Doctor be kicked out, never to be seen or heard from again?

Was the Doctor's trip all for nothing?


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah waited for Luke to go upstairs before looking to the Doctor. She sighed quietly before calming down a little. "You know I'm not going to hurt you," she said quietly before looking down. "I just wish you could have given me a hint sooner or later. You know I wouldn't have gone into Gallifrey to help since it's well beyond saving. I could have also kept it a secret from Luke until you told me to tell him." She looked back up to him, not holding a sign of anger or disappointment in her eyes. The only emotions in her eyes and body were kindness and understanding as she always gave to him.

He waited until she said her piece, taking a couple of sips of tea before turning fully to her. "I saw what could have happened. Sarah, I told you and you did go to Gallifrey. I changed that part of your history. Then, I thought it was safe to tell you about Luke. But then I lost you both. I couldn't handle it, so I changed history again. I stopped myself from saying anything. I broke the laws of Time because I couldn't lose you both. I couldn't... It was as if I betrayed Gallifrey all over." During his speech, he had started and had been crying as he told her all this. "I just... couldn't watch either of you die."

She looked down to her teacup as he spoke, listening to his words. He broke the laws of Time just to save her and Luke from his mistakes. If the Time Lords were still around, they would have been most upset with his actions. She smirked, nodding in silent agreement. "Eventually I probably would have gone..." She looked up to see him crying. Stopping her response, she sighed sadly at the sight of seeing the happy-go-lucky Doctor she knew reduced to this. She moved closer to him, hugging him tightly. "John..." She used his Earth name whenever he wanted to hide himself among the human race. "Thank you for meddling." She kissed his cheek gently before continuing to hold him comfortingly.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her near. "I know all those years ago, when I dropped you off, I seemed distant. I was trying not to get too close. I know what happens to those I get close to. You were starting to get too detached from Earth and everything you knew as well. I couldn't have asked you to stay with me, knowing how your future would play out if you stayed and if you went."

Sarah nodded, still holding him in the long hug. "I know that now."

"Well, I'm human now. No changing that unless Jenny ever decided to stop being a Time Lady. I have one life to live." He leaned back from the hug, looking into her eyes with one of his soft charming smiles he always had just for his Sarah. "If you and Luke will let me, I want to spend it with you two." He kept the smile, but his heart raced as he waited for her answer. He made sure not to look into his human life while still being a Time Lord. That way, his human life could be full of surprises.

She leaned back also and looked into his eyes, wearing a smile that showed she was trying to make up her mind. But, she already knew the answer to his question. "Well, we may need to have a sort of quick beginning to get used to one another again..." She smiled softly to him to calm his nerves. "We'll tell everyone that you are Luke's father, that we separated shortly after Luke's birth, and Luke was living with you for years in Southern London to let me pursue journalism. I'm sure Luke will agree to the story for those that don't know you."

He nodded. "It would explain it all." He was just glad that she didn't hate him after all that. He smiled back at her. "Think we should let him off the stairwell? He heard everything anyway."

"How?" Luke asked, his head poking from near the top of the lowest part of the stairwell.

"Refection in the umbrella stand," the Doctor said.

Sarah Jane smiled. "That's our boy, snooping around as always." She giggled quietly at the light blush on Luke's cheeks. "Get Clyde and Rani, and tell them what's going on. That way, they can help at school with damage control when rumors start." She watched Luke nod and run upstairs to the attic, Sarah Jane smiling and sipping her tea. Luke was more than happy to call his friends about this. He too was thrilled the Doctor was back and could stay.

The Doctor was so tired of being the Lonely God. He had a chance to be normal after all that he had done to protect Earth and the Universe. He had a chance to do all the things a normal man did without worrying about bringing Armageddon on his family. "Sarah Jane Smith." He smiled at her as K-9 sat nearby, the former companion smiling back at him.

"Master and Mistress are together again," K-9 said in his plain robotic voice, but the two could tell that he was truly happy about the arrangement.

"Oh yes!" the Doctor answered softly yet happily.

Sarah Jane smiled more at both of their reactions of excitement to the situation, looking to K-9. "That we are." She looked over to the Doctor once more. "So, do you still want to be called John Smith, or do you want to have another first name?"

"John is still fine, but Sarah, I'm going to tell you something I've never told another soul. You will be the only one to know what my true name was."

Sarah almost choked on her cup of tea once more as she looked to him with shock on her face. "Are you sure?"

He smiled and nodded, taking a hold of her hand. Making sure that Luke was upstairs, he leaned closer to her to breathe it softly. "My real name is Elwin Song."

She smiled brightly. "Oh Elwin..." She hugged him once more. "I promise I will never tell." She poured herself another cup of tea and ate another scone, looking to him. "Well first things first: Living arrangements. If you wish, you can stay here in the guest room. We'll say that you lost everything due to the current stock market and wanted to try and make a fresh start. As for other complications, I have enough connections to make up some birth certificates and everything else we may need." She knew a few aliens who stayed on Earth in the area that could help out, especially if they knew he was the Doctor. They would be happy to help out once they knew who he was, though the big mouth ones would have to have their memories erased afterwards. "K-9, do me a favor and get a list of the aliens we've saved and their positions to start planning everything immediately. Work together with Mr. Smith in the attic."

K-9 looked at his master as he got the list. He knew that it was big for him to have given his real name. It was a large-scale situation if his mistress was going to call in a lot of her favors to the aliens that she had helped over the past couple of years.

Elwin nodded. "Don't know how we'll explain the being separated but everything will work out." He smiled as he felt something in his pocket. "Well, I've got the papers to be a teacher, so that's taken care of. What? You think I was just going to live off you? Oh no, Sarah, this is still a partnership." He'd forgotten what all was in his long coat come to think of it.

Sarah Jane smiled. "Oh no, of course not!" She put down her teacup and hugged him once more. "I really have missed you, you know..." She muttered as she moved a bit closer to him in the hug.

He wrapped his arm around her too. "I know. I should have taken you to Gallifrey with me instead of letting you leave me. But I knew what you had to do still. Oh, you had so much to do, so much to be brilliant at." He then did something he hadn't done to her in a while during this current regeneration: he kissed her forehead.

She cuddled close to him as he wrapped his arm around her. She felt her cheeks flush at the kiss to her forehead, but didn't say anything about it. She just smiled and enjoyed his embrace. "Well, I had the honor of meeting Romana and your wife from your first regeneration about a couple of years after you left me in Aberdeen. They showed me a few pictures of Gallifrey and it was beautiful. Shame all that had to happen to it, but that's what happens with war. Everything beautiful gets destroyed one way or another."

Gallifrey had been wonderful, yes, but he ran. It wasn't home after he had left. He had to go; he'd felt himself becoming like them, the Time Lords, not caring if the universe around them fell. He smiled at her. "They had pictures with them? Not surprised. I am surprised she didn't try to hunt me down and how she came to our universe from the one I left her in, but that's different. I'm surprised a bit as well that my wife didn't try to look me up either."

"Romana said that she was done travelling with you by this time and remembered reading about me in your file and wanted to meet me. After being able to create her own TARDIS thanks to the plans you left in her K-9 unit, she made sure that the universe she was in was stabilized enough for her to make a jump from that universe to ours. Your wife just came with her after Romana went back to Gallifrey to check in on things and the three of us talked about our travels with you and she looked pleased for some reason." She looked to him, smiling. "Romana really complimented you as your companion at the time."

"Every companion I've had, well besides Susan, in one way or another has gone with my personality at the time. Some, more than others, like you; you could usually tell when my jokes were to cover up something else I was thinking about." He loved all his companions in one form or another, but he never felt about anyone like his Sarah.

She giggled. "Of course." She sat up and slipped her hand into his slowly. "And I tried to cheer you up when I could." She squeezed his hand comfortingly before slipping it out and grabbing another scone. "Might as well get my share before you and Luke eat them all!" She laughed at the look on his face before hearing a soft laugh come from him as well.

One lingering thought came to Elwin's mind as they continued to sip tea and eat scones enjoyably...

How long would this peace last before one of their former enemies or a new threat decided to rear its head?


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor smiled at the mini display Sarah Jane was putting on. Let her have all of the scones for all he cared! He was just glad to be back with her again. She was usually the one who could get him out of his funk so to say. Even after she'd left, he would just think about her and smile.

Luke came back down. "Ok, the others said they will help cover. I'm just glad we can all be a family".

The Doctor nodded. "Oh yes."

Sarah smiled and nodded. "I knew they would." She looked to the Doctor. "I still have the Sonic Lipstick and the alien life-scanning watch you left in K-9 for me." She smiled brightly. "They never leave my side unless the children help me and I have to lend it to them for a while."

"I thought they would come in handy. There were other things I wanted to leave, but didn't know if you would use them anyway," he answered.

K-9 turned to them. "Affirmative, Master," he said, the Doctor laughing at the loyal companion's reply.

Sarah laughed with him. "Well, thank you for that. They have come in handy." She looked to Luke. "So, are you sure you're all right with him being your father? I mean, sure your DNA chose the two of us out of all that alien DNA... But, are you sure?" She didn't want Luke to regret this at all or feel like this didn't concern him at all.

"Truthfully, Mom, there are nights I dreamt he was my dad. We'd do the entire normal father son things, come home, and be with you," Luke replied, truly excited.

The Doctor nodded. "You were picking up on my DNA, but yes we can do all that."

Sarah Jane smiled. "Well, good. Now, I'm sure you've had an exhausting day, turning human and all this. How about a nice hot shower to calm down your nerves and relax? Luke, show him around the house real quick and I'll be in the attic checking up on the latest stories and what not." She kissed the Doctor's cheek and Luke's forehead, ruffling both their hair before heading upstairs to check on the printout of the aliens to help get the Doctor fully settled in.

Luke showed him the house. "I might have something that will fit you. You're taller than I am," Luke said.

"Oh, just a pair of old sweats and a tee would work," he answered, looking around as he waited by Luke in his room. Luke found a pair that would fit him and smiled. He showed the Doctor where the spare bathroom was and let him take a shower and change. Luke smiled as he went to help his mom.

Clyde and Rani came over while the Doctor took a shower, excited to see the Doctor again and having a welcome back slumber party in his honor. That was the reason why the phone call took so long earlier. Sarah Jane was told at the last moment, but she didn't mind. She knew that even though he would take the job of a teacher that he would most likely help them from time to time on their adventures. She was looking up stories as the kids came upstairs.

"So, is it really true, Sarah Jane?" Rani squealed a bit. "Is he really staying?"

She smiled, looking away from the screen for a moment to the teens. "That it is, Rani dear. Hello, Clyde. Oh! Presents! You really didn't have to do all that."

Clyde chuckled a bit. "Of course we had to, Sarah Jane. Besides, we told our parents about Luke's dad coming back into the picture happily and about the slumber party. They all chipped in with our allowances for some last-minute housewarming gifts for him. We chose the gifts because we remember how he liked the weird stuff and science stuff from time to time with all the stories you've told us over the years."

Sarah smiled brightly. "You two are the best friends our son could ever ask for. Come here, you two." She stood up and hugged them.

"Excuse me, Sarah Jane?" Mr. Smith piped up.

"Yes, Mr. Smith?" Sarah Jane looked over to the massive computer in the nearby other side of the attic.

"It seems that the Doctor has been listening in on said surprise housewarming slumber party plans."

Sarah Jane lifted an eyebrow before looking at the door and seeing him, smiling. "Had to eavesdrop, hmm?"

"Oh, you know me," he said, smiling. The teens were glad to see him again, even if he was in an old pair of sweats and a tee-shirt.

"So, you're going to teach at the school?" Luke asked.

"I'm going to try. It's a better cover for me than other things. Could get a job in a book shop, but it's harder to get inside information that way," the Doctor answered with a smile.

Luke nodded. "Do I call you Dad or Mr. Smith then?" he asked.

The Doctor laughed. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." His brown eyes were sparkling, sure they usually a bit of a sparkle to them, but not like this.

Sarah Jane smiled, leaning back against a nearby post as the teens spoke to him, feeling her heart flutter a bit. Mr. Smith couldn't keep quiet about this. "Excuse me, Sarah Jane, but it seems your heartbeat is slightly elevated and your body temperature is rising slightly as well... Are you feeling all right?"

K-9 chuckled as Sarah blushed from Mr. Smith's comment, deciding to help out as well. "Mistress is as giddy as a schoolgirl around Master." K-9 was glad his two owners were back together and semi happy at least.

She looked between the two. "Just because the Doctor is here doesn't mean that you two can misbehave!"

The teens giggled some at the almost unbelievable scene of Sarah arguing with two machines about her feelings. "Something tells me on the wedding day that Sarah Jane was hoping you would sweep her off her feet at the altar and her marry you instead, Doctor!" Clyde laughed at this before groaning from Rani gut-checking him.

The Doctor looked pained. "I wish it had been me. I knew what would have happened though if she'd stayed with me. I wouldn't have... I couldn't have lived through that if it had happened."

Luke looked at Clyde and Rani while the Doctor smiled lightly at Sarah. "So, your other companions, what happened to them?" Clyde asked.

"Oh Martha and Mickey are safe. Donna got married, and Rose is still lost."

"But she is with your half human half Time Lord self on the Alternate Earth, so I'm sure they're happy for the most part," Sarah pointed out, smiling to him, but her smile faded a bit as she sat back down at her computer, looking at stories for any leads for alien activity. She wasn't completely jealous of Rose, oh no. She thought of Rose as a mate in the short time of knowing her, reminding her of herself when she was Rose's age. But, she was in Rose's position once before, having those girlish feelings for the Doctor. That's what she was mildly jealous of: sharing those feelings for him with someone else.

"Far as I know unless something happened to him or her," the Doctor said.

"Let's go order some pizza," Clyde said, hinting they should leave the Doctor and Sarah alone. When the three teens had gone down, the Doctor stood behind her.

"Sarah, no matter how much any of the other companions got to me, they weren't you," he said softly. He regretted leaving her all those years ago. After the Deffry Vale incident, he wanted her to come with them, but again didn't press it knowing she had other things to do. There were brilliant things for her in her future. It seemed the Doctor could never have what made him happiest until now. He was human now and had this one life. He was going to make it fulfilling by spending it with her.

She continued to look at the stories before stopping as she felt him right behind her. She sighed, slowly turning around and looking up to him with unshed tears in her eyes. "I know that. But, I guess it's the foolish schoolgirl in me that's jealous is all." She smirked as a couple of tears fell. She wiped her eyes and tried to calm down.

"Sarah, there will never be another companion. Until this heart here stops, I just want you," he said. The Doctor rubbed his hand along her back. "If you'll have me, that is," he added softly barely above a whisper.

K-9 secretly recorded all this. He'd recorded many key moments of the two since she had boarded the TARDIS and he knew her. It was just something to remind himself who his true Master and Mistress were. Plus, it was always fun to share the memory banks with Mr. Smith later for a good chuckle between the two machines.

Sarah stood up and hugged him, hearing him and smiling. The tears slowly continued as she heard his whisper, leaning back enough to lean her forehead against his. "You stupid brute... Of course I'll have you, or else I wouldn't have let you back into my life so many times. And yes, Clyde was right, part of me was hoping you were there to sweep me off my feet and marry me right there. You know I would've said I do." She blushed lightly, the tears still falling. "But, like I said, I want to have a quick beginning to get used to one another again before we jump head first into this."

"Always best to look before you leap. I just figured that after all these years, you'd hate me for everything. Course I know you wouldn't have known why I did them. Not till this morning. But, I wouldn't have blamed you for it either." He was glad she didn't hate him. Hell, he would have in her place probably.

She laughed quietly through her tears. "I know there's always a reason behind your actions and that I would've found out sooner or later. I can never truly stay mad at you." The couple hugged and enjoyed the quiet moment to themselves.

But, one question came to mind: What were the teens up to during all this?


	5. Chapter 5

"We better go make sure the teens aren't plotting something else," he said. He knew all too well that the teens could plot all sorts of things.

She smiled and nodded "They're always plotting."

K-9 had snuck out of the attic for a moment after this and came back up. "Mistress, Master Luke and friends are plotting," he informed them.

"About what?" the Doctor asked.

"About you and Mistress, Master," he answered before leaving the room.

"Oh that's brilliant." He chuckled, looking from K-9's retreating form to Sarah.

"See? Let's sneak up on them!" She pinpointed through the watch where the teens were and quietly moved to the floor above them. She put a finger to her lips and took out the Sonic Lipstick. Reconfiguring it as a mini speaker, she placed it on the floor right above the teens' heads to listen in on the conversation with him. She grabbed a couple of pillows and tossed him one, sitting down quietly on the floor on top of the pillow as they listened in.

"I'm serious, you know how she felt about him. Look at his file in Mr. Smith," Rani said.

"Mr. Smith's file in Mr. Smith, you know how that sounds?" Luke questioned.

"Well, least you know where you came from now. But Rani's right, we need to get them alone more," Clyde said.

"Oh come on, Mom and Dad only just got reunited," Luke said almost pleadingly.

"Least he's on our side." the Doctor whispered.

Sarah smiled. "Well well, that's our boy," she agreed before they continued to listen.

"Well, she needs him. After… well… you know…" Rani trailed off.

"I'm begging you to let them be," Luke pleaded seriously with his friends.

K-9 could be heard down there too, having gone downstairs after alerting the Doctor and Sarah. "It isn't nice to plot against Master and Mistress,' K-9 said nonchalantly.

"See, K-9 even thinks it!" Luke exclaimed.

Sarah rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "We can have our alone time to ourselves without them planning it." She looked to the Doctor, blushing lightly.

He saw her blush and smiled softly. "Oh, I don't think that was ever the issue," he whispered. No, on the TARDIS they had been alone plenty and knew so much about each other.

She raised an eyebrow with her smile and blush. "This is very true."

"So, we need to plan a romantic dinner for them, just them," Rani suggested.

"Negative, candles and music make Master nervous," K-9 answered.

"What? Why?" Clyde asked.

"He once had a romantic dinner with someone and they betrayed him to the Time Lord called the Master," K-9 replied.

"Oh, yes, bad idea," Rani said with a slight groan.

"What if they get alone and start fighting?" Clyde asked curiously.

"Regret, there are times," K-9 said, one thinking that if the robotic dog could sigh, he would do so.

Sarah looked to the Doctor while the teens continued chatting. "Oh no... Who did that?" She scooted closer to him, still listening to the kids, but holding his hand comfortingly.

"I forget her name. It wasn't even supposed to be dinner. She said come over. I said why. One thing led to another and bam I'm tied up and wondering where the sonic is," he explained.

"Why that cheek!" She gasped a bit before giggling quietly. "You're always losing your screwdriver. At least I keep mine always in my purse." She teased him as she pushed him lightly and playfully, smiling as they continue to listen to the teens.

"Oi, I didn't lose it, the guard took it," he said, offering her a Jelly Baby and eating a couple himself. He looked to see her grab a couple of Jelly Babies and pop them into her mouth like she did back when she traveled with him. Sarah leaned her head onto his shoulder and smiled as they continued to listen to the teens.

"I still think K-9's right, let Mom and Dad be," Luke said quietly.

"Don't they deserve to be happy?" Clyde asked.

"Course, but let them find it," Luke answered with a groan.

Rani shook her head. "They just need a nudge," she said.

Just as the two upstairs were enjoying the peace and quiet, K-9 decided to blow their cover. "Master Luke, I detect that this conversation is being listened to upstairs the whole time by Master and Mistress."

The teens blushed. "They heard?" Rani asked.

"Affirmative. Master and Mistress will be fine," K-9 said.

Rani was red. "Oh, she's going to kill us," she moaned, letting her head bang softly against the table.

Sarah Jane groaned lightly. "So much for our cover." She giggled a bit, putting the lipstick away. "Thank you, K-9!"

K-9 laughed a bit at the situation. "K-9 good and bad dog." Sarah Jane laughed at this, the Doctor laughing wholeheartedly with her while K-9 roamed out of the living room.

"Well, we've been blown. Might as well head down and face them," the Doctor said, chuckling still.

Sarah Jane smiled and shook her head. "He gets that from you, you know... K-9 and his bluntness." She stood up, sneaking a kiss to his cheek before leaving the room with him.

She headed downstairs and into the kitchen where the teens were waiting after getting caught. She then walked over to the stove and turned the preheat on. "How about some chicken nuggets and pizza bites for dinner, hmm? This is a party after all and after dinner you can give John your gifts."

The teens nodded and helped to grab the frozen chicken nuggets and pizza rolls out of the freezer. The three then grabbed all the condiments, drinks and napkins they could need before setting up in the living room. Sarah smiled, winking to the Doctor before starting dinner.

"How about you tell them a few stories of our adventures together while I get dinner ready?"


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor smiled as he walked into the living room to wait with the teens and K-9. "Which one to tell?" he asked out loud, knowing they had heard Sarah's suggestion.

"How about after you left the last time?" Clyde suggested.

"Oh, there have been so many adventures. Well, there are the Adipose, the Ood, oh now there is an interesting race of people," he said, getting excited about telling his adventures to them.

"Ood?" Rani asked.

"Those things with brains in the balls," Clyde said.

"Yeah that's only part true," the Doctor said. He explained the Ood and how they summoned him right before Christmas and the mess with Gallifrey, the Time Lords, and the Master.

"Wait, you married Queen Elizabeth?" Rani said, shocked to hear this.

"It was that or lose my head. I like my head," he said with a quick shrug.

Sarah Jane popped her head in, hearing this part. "So THAT'S why she wanted to behead you when you and Martha met William Shakespeare." She giggled lightly. "I keep in regular contact with her and Mickey, thank you very much." She said this when she saw the genuine look of curiosity from the Doctor before smiling and going back into the kitchen to fry up some chips to go with dinner.

"Do you really? Brilliant!" He exclaimed as she went back into the kitchen.

"So the Queen wanted to kill you?" Rani asked.

"Well, she got mad, I found my TARDIS, and left. I didn't exactly want to get married, and mind you, I didn't even use my name. Used Ralph Morlo," he said, winking to them.

"So she took your TARDIS, made you marry her, and then what?" Clyde asked.

"I left," he said simply.

Sarah finished cooking everything and set the coffee table with plate warmers to keep the bowls of food from burning anyone. She poured a small bowl of engine oil for K-9 and set it down between her and the Doctor on the floor. "K-9, dinner's ready!" She smiled and sat down at the coffee table, eating with them. "Here's one thing I always wondered about... How did everything really go with Madame du Pompadour?" She knew he had a schoolboy crush on her and heard some of the story from Mickey but not the whole ordeal.

"Oh, Madame Du Pompadour was more of a crush. Think about it, how many mistresses get along with the Queen of the land whose husband they're together with?" he asked before eating a chip. "Had I been on the slow path after I was left behind… Oh, who knows what would have happened."

"Marry her?" Rani asked.

"No, even then when she kissed me, I was thinking about Sarah and how I promised to come back at least once," he said with a smile to her.

Sarah Jane blushed lightly and smiled. "You flatter me too much, Doctor." She smiled to him as well before eating a chicken nugget. She looked to see K-9 come up between them on the floor and taking in the oil slowly as if he was slurping it. "His monthly refill," she explained to him before smiling to K-9, reaching down and patting his back gently. "Good boy."

"Oh, used to be he needed a daily refill," the Doctor said, smiling at the sight.

"So, you were always interested in Mom?" Luke asked curiously just to get the question asked and out in the open.

"No. First sight, I thought she was a young stowaway that shouldn't have been there," he said.

"She stowed away on your ship?" Clyde asked, looking to Sarah with a wicked grin.

"Yep," he replied with a smirk. He was just glad she had. She ended up meaning so much to him.

Sarah blushed more. "Doctor!"

The teens giggled. "Oh, definitely something we need to hear!" Rani smiled, seeing Sarah Jane's reaction. They then heard the tale about how the Doctor first met Sarah Jane posing as her aunt and then first traveling back in time with him. Sarah smiled and held the Doctor's hand briefly as he retold the tale and they continued dinner.

Once it was over with, she cleared the table. "All right, present time!" She saw Rani and Clyde get their presents, Luke having gotten one through Rani and promising to pay her back later. Sarah sat back down by the Doctor as the teens came back, all convening back in the living room with some various-flavored ice cream and different toppings all left over from Luke's birthday two weeks ago.

The Doctor sat with them in the living room as Rani handed him her's first. He opened it and found a beautiful pen with reusable ink. The markings were like his fob watch. "How?" he asked.

Rani held up a photo of the fob watch. "Sarah Jane had it," she answered simply.

Sarah smiled and gasped as she saw the pen and the picture. "Oh Rani, you did a wonderful job! I was wondering where that picture was!"

Rani blushed a little. "Sorry, it was all last minute. I was originally getting it for you, but I figured John would like it more to help remind him of the good times as a Time Lord." Sarah smiled and gripped her hand gently.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, smiling softly to Rani.

Clyde looked at him. "Didn't know your size," he said, handing him a gift card. "Figured you would need more suits. I remembered you love suits and a family friend has connections with that suit shop," Clyde smiled sheepishly after explaining. Sarah giggled a bit at this.

"Can never have too many of those," the Doctor said, nodding.

Luke gave his next, a briefcase for him to use when he became a teacher along with a current copy of Earth science that Luke had an extra copy of. "Case you missed a couple of things. If Dad is going to teach at school, I figured some kind of science would be the best for him."

"Oh, thank you all," the Doctor said, grinning.

Sarah hugged Luke and his friends. "That's our brilliant boy and his friends. Thank you everyone."

"Science probably would be best," the Doctor said, smiling more as he looked through a few pages of the book. He didn't know what would happen if lost them.

Luke looked at him. "So, we did good?" he asked as they watched the Doctor put the book back into the briefcase and shut it.

"No," the Doctor answered, seeing frowns on the teens before smiling brightly. "You did brilliant!" The teens beamed at each other and at the now semi couple.

K-9 came in and opened the compartment that Sarah had found the lipstick in and there was the Psychic Paper. "A housewarming present from Mistress Jenny, Master."

"Oh, brilliant her," he said, taking it out.

Sarah raised an eyebrow before laughing quietly. "You STILL have the Psychic Paper? Well, that will help out."

With the Doctor's possible job at school as a teacher, would he ever need to use it beside his future adventures together with the group?


	7. Chapter 7

K-9 looked to Sarah. "Mistress, list compiled and 5 possible identities Master can take with his name of John Smith. Mr. Smith has the results and contacts all upstairs for Master and Mistress to choose from." K-9 looked to the Doctor. "Master, if I may suggest. One possible result is that are a distant cousin to Albert Einstein."

Sarah's eyes widened. "Goodness!"

The Doctor looked at K-9, thoroughly impressed with the idea. "Oh, that's brilliant."

"What happened to the real Mr. Smith related to Einstein?" Clyde asked.

"Oh, he goes on with his life, I go on with mine. We are not likely to cross paths since he lives in the United States," he said.

"Do I want to know how you know that?" Rani asked.

"Met him once. At a museum," the Doctor said.

K-9 moved his ears. "That is one possibility, Master," he said.

Sarah connected to Mr. Smith through the alien detecting watch since she didn't feel like going upstairs at the moment. She brought up the results for everyone to see. "Distant cousin of Albert Einstein... Grandson of British Science Fiction buff Alexander Smith... Descendant of Sir Robert Locksley!" She looked to K-9. "Robin Hood... Really?" She sighed, shaking her head.

The Doctor looked at K-9. "Trying to make me royal?" he asked with a smirk.

"Close, Master," K-9 answered. The Doctor chuckled, patting the robot canine's side affectionately.

"Cool. But I thought that Robin Hood was a myth?" Rani said, looking to her friends who shrugged along with her.

"Well, guess we could go with that one. Only fair I stuck him with the name K-9." The Doctor chuckled.

Luke looked at the other results. "Distant nephew of a famous Swedish chef... and... Oh no... This can't..."

Clyde looked. "What? What is it?"

Rani read it, her eyes widening. "Possible descendant of Queen Elizabeth I!"

Sarah read it also, laughing. "Oh no! I do NOT want to be a royal! Sir Robert Locksley, maybe... But, that would change everyone's opinion on the Virgin Queen Bess! We couldn't do that to her!"

"Mind you, it's not 'cause of me they would change her nickname," the Doctor said. No, it was that music man that it would have happened.

Luke looked at the others. "Oh, there's an extra one here for you to be a descendant of Mary Queen of Scots," he said.

Sarah Jane calmed down some. "Oh, Mary Queen of Scots would be worse."

"No, I think we'll stick with the Einstein bloke," the Doctor said. He really didn't want to be related to royalty, thank you. His job was to blend in, not to draw attention.

Sarah smiled and nodded. "I think Einstein would be much more agreeable."

K-9 nodded. "Affirmative, Master and Mistress. I will go upstairs and confer with Mr. Smith and make all the necessary arrangements including putting into medical records that Master has a very rare heart condition to help hide his two hearts."

The group all nodded before a long wave of silence came over them. Eyes widened as everyone looked from K-9 leaving the room to the Doctor. Luke was the one to break the silence though.

"Two hearts?"

Sarah Jane gently touched the Doctor's chest, feeling two hearts. "You're human, but you kept your two hearts..."

Clyde smiled. "Wicked!"

Rani smacked him upside his head. "Not wicked! He's human but having two hearts would be hard to hide from the public eye!"

K-9 turned around at the staircase and nodded. "Affirmative, Mistress Rani, which is why we are putting into Master's medical records that he has a rare heart condition. Dr. Grace Holloway will be Master's personal doctor since she was a former companion of Master's and knows about Time Lord physiology."

Sarah Jane smiled to K-9. "Thank goodness for connections."

The Doctor thought for a moment. *Two hearts, I should only have one after giving the energy to Jenny!* "Thank you, K9. Grace would be the best option," he said out loud. It would be good to see Grace again, sure… But, he was still worried that the world might question his two hearts if they found out. He watched K9 hover upstairs to deal with the birth records needed for his cover. It would be written that John was supposed to be twins but that a heart had survived.

Clyde looked to the two adults. "What possible condition could there be?"

"Parasitic twin," The Doctor answered even though he was still deep in thought over the whole ordeal.

Rani looked over to Sarah Jane as the three teens looked between the Doctor and her for answers. "What is the Doctor on about? I've never learned that in school."

Sarah Jane nodded, bringing up the rare case on the watch through Mr. Smith's database. "There have only been 8 recorded cases in history, so it's not impossible to have the condition. It's just highly rare to get."

Luke smiled. "Wow, very cool." His friends nodded in agreement.

"Great way to cover what you really are," Clyde chimed in.

"And with all the good aliens who have stayed on Earth with their connections to us, everything will be fixed up in no time at all," Rani finished the train of thought that all three were thinking of at the same time.

Sarah Jane nodded and smiled to her smart group of teens before grabbing a 20-pound note out of her purse. "This is very true. Now why don't you all go down to the rental shop and grab a few DVDs to watch? This is a party after all." The teens smiled, thanked Sarah Jane, grabbed the note, and rushed out, leaving the couple alone.

When they left, he turned to her. "Should be interesting explaining that to everyone." It was going to be hard enough explaining how he only looked thirty five and Luke was in high school. So many questions that needed answers thought up to… He knew they would figure it all out. They always figured things out, but until then, he would always think about it.

Sarah smiled and nodded. "We can just say your appearance is slow for aging due to the two hearts since you're supposed to be twins but stuck in one body. That's the main side effect to Parasitic Twin Syndrome." She hugged him tightly. "Sounds like our hectic lives can calm down a little."

He hugged her in return. "I hope so. I'm tired of running… So tired of running." He was; he just wanted to have a life with her and their son. If it involved saving the world, fine, but he didn't want to rush off to different planets and times. He hoped that indeed life would be calm.

She leaned back and looked into his eyes while still in his arms. "The whole day you've been here and you haven't even tried..." She blushed before leaning in and kissing his lips softly for a lingering moment before breaking it. She opened her eyes after the short kiss and blushed still with a shy smile. "I always wanted to properly do that."

He grinned and kissed her back softly. "I thought we were taking things slow was all." He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable about anything. He still had his arms around her. "I didn't want to make things feel rushed," he said softly as they parted.

She smiled and laughed quietly. "I know we're taking things slow, but that doesn't mean we can't kiss." She cuddled close to him once more, looking into his eyes before teasing him a little. "And I don't mind that technically you're robbing the cradle."

He smiled as he held her in his arms. "Robbing the cradle... Sarah, I'm so very old, I know. But you, oh, you're like... You're like a good cup of tea after a long winter's night. You warm and relax me, yes, but you awaken me too," he explained before kissing her again.

She blushed lightly. "You always have a way with words, my dear Elwin." She leaned in and kissed back softly, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck.

K-9 was just around the corner secretly recording this, but replaced his real name with John in case the teens asked about it later. K9 was as thrilled as a robot dog could be that Master and Mistress were together. He continued to secretly record their time together from around the corner.

The Doctor only broke the kiss to breathe. "I should have stayed after the wedding, I really should have. But I meant it and still mean it when I said you are so special to me and the world." She meant the universe to him and if for some unforeseen reason the Daleks returned, they would find a pissed off Doctor if they messed with her or the teens.

Sarah blushed as the kiss ended, a look of surprise in her features. "You always seem to surprise me, Elwin, in the biggest or tiniest ways." She blushed more. "And you are the world to me and the children, my dear."


	8. Chapter 8

Hello everyone! This is an update of the status of this wonderful story between the Doctor and Sarah Jane.

As most Doctor Who and Sarah Jane Adventure fans know (but if you haven't heard and just hearing now, I'm so very sorry to be breaking this news to you)… On April 19th 2011, the actress that played Sarah Jane Smith, Elisabeth Sladen, passed away due to cancer. A lot of fans that found out were shaken, and this included myself and my friend and co-author thetimetravelingdoctor. We do have most of the story done and archived so all that needs to be done is just turn the roleplay archive from messenger form to story form. But, I did not have the heart to continue the story in honor of her passing. It was to the point that for a while thetimetravelingdoctor didn't even wish to play the Doctor for a while in his way of mourning Lis' passing.

The other reason why the story hasn't been updated has been due to the fact that during the past few months, I was busy moving from one side of the town I lived in to the other and then several states away to move in with my now fiancée. It has been hectic! It has been a headache! There was some heartache! There were some tears, sad and happy! To sum things up, life has been crazy!

But, with my fiancée starting to get into Doctor Who now, I feel that I am able to finally continue the story. I do apologize for the long waits in between and thank all the followers and those that have also added this story to their favorites!

As of today (September 14, 2011), looking at the Legacy Stats, this story has had 1,938 hits! Almost 2,000 hits! Also, we have 10 people adding the story to their favorites and 11 story alerts! Out of the three stories I have, this is the second most popular story yet my first multi-chapter story uploaded. Thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart for the support and comments and constructive criticism! I am deeply humbled that you like this story!

Now, I promise you that within a week's time from posting this that I will continue the story and continue posting every two to three weeks. If you have a deviantArt account, check out my profile page here on for the link to my dA page to read this story and others there as well. Thank you all for your patience and I will post soon!


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